For a moment it looks like the Priestess is about to do something rash but then Aston's honeyed words - so eloquently delivered - calm the Pharasmin down, "Oh, yes I suppose so... I will tell the high priestess of your return - you have at least three hours until she could receive you, the last night of Pharast is always a busy time for the clergy"
Tracing the Pharasmin sigil in the air, she bids you farewell and turns back towards the Ossuary.
"Tik'Klik."
Seeing the stranger has turned non-hostile, Tik'Klik's hand clicks and clatters back into a hand and he turns to follow the others.
BTW, I keep describing it, but basically, this is what Tik'Klik's extremities are doing when his hands open up and fold back.
Aston gives the priestess a charming smile and nods his head as he passes. "We shall return, then. Farewell for now, good priestess."
Once clear of the cathedral, Aston leads his companions and Esme to the nearest place where they can grab a drink and a bath- the same place where he was first recruited for this mission. It is a favorite haunt of his, and he has chosen it for a reason. Taking a seat at a table with the rest, he rests his chin on one hand as he considers their next move.
"Taicho, Tik'Klik, I appreciate your efforts this night. There is no doubt in my mind that our mission would have failed without your help." He turns to Taicho and nods at him. "I would be honored to work with you again, Taicho; aside from your obvious fighting prowess, you are an intriguing man, and you make me laugh- though I know not whether that is your intention most of the time. I'll be thinking of that monotone 'it has attacked us unwarranted' every time some random ghoulie leaps out of the shadows at me from hereon." He then turns to Tik. "And you, sir, are a mystery among mysteries. Where will you go now, Tik? You aided us, but you are under no obligation to the Church of Pharasma. What is next for you? A great amount of time has passed since you were put into that box. The world has changed. Whatever you choose to do, if you wish it, I will help you."
He sighs, feeling surprisingly sentimental, but those happy feelings vanish when his mind turns to Graham. An ugly fate for a strong comrade. Perhaps Graham could have been saved if he had only been more attentive to those pods... Alas.
And then there is Esme. Tripe's pet project. She is likely an innocent in all this- and fascinating nonetheless. "Esme, there is someone I would like for you to meet. I have a daughter, you see. The curse of undeath that flows through my veins found its way into her, you see; she has been fascinated by necromancy for many years. It is a part of her as much as it is a part of you and I. She is a good girl; I believe that she will do everything in her power to help you. Kaer Maga is not the worst place in the world to get by for people like us. I cannot promise you that your condition can be cured, but even if that proves to be the case, Abigail and I will make sure that you are comfortable, at least. You are a victim in all of this, and I will not see you suffer if I can help it; kindred spirits, you know?"
He rises from his seat. "Taicho, order me a drink. I will be back shortly." He then moves to the door and leaves the establishment. Abigail lives near here; he should be gone only a few minutes, and if anyone knows what to do about Esme, it will be her.
"Tik'Klik."
The golem's eyes flicker in the equivalent of a blink, and then it gives an odd torso spin, and begins to wander off into the strange city. What exactly goes on inside it's odd head is anyone's guess.
Taicho has accumulated a fine stack of emptied glasses – various coloured liquids spilled on the floor around him suggest that the tengu has partaken of a wide variety of what the hostelry has to offer – and here, in Kaer Maga, that is indeed a very wide spectrum. The barmaid nods at Aston as he returns and, within a minute, a frothing drink is placed on the table in front of him… The hubbub within the tavern is a far cry from the looming silence of the Ossuary and, for a moment, the events of the last day seem a world away… Maybe if Aston had walked a different route back to the tavern he would have caught sight of the strange golem – dormant for so long – ‘strolling’ with a sense of purpose to somewhere… where that somewhere may be? Only the golem, if it could talk, could tell you…
*****
Meanwhile, in a starkly decorated room – with it’s only light coming from the arched windows overlooking the cathedral square – a hooded figure whispers into the owner of the room’s ear.
”I see… Thank you for bringing this turn of events to my attention. That will be all for now Sister Janeyh”
As the hooded figure quietly leaves the room, Sister Nerissia opens a leather bound book placed upon an ornate lectern – with a look of genuine regret, she writes three names upon the velum…
Aston Sabroque – Heretic
Taicho Blackfeather – Heretic
Graham Sykes – Missing?
Closing the book with a sigh, she returns to her position looking out across the square…